long arm info
 

My mil is wanting a longarm not one thats top of the line just needing one that will be able to use software with what would you guy recommend for a beginning machine

I have the HQ16 with the ProStitcher. I love mine and it didn't cost the price of a small house. Easy to use. There are still many available for sale from those who want to trade up to the HQ Avante or Fusion.

I recently upgraded from a Voyager 17 to a Nolting FunQuilter and am VERY happy with it. Haven't had a minute of trouble with it. They came and set it up and made sure I was comfortable using it.

I also upgraded from a Voyager 17 to a Nolting FunQuilter and am happy with it also. There is quite a learning curve with a LA and takes a lot of practice but I enjoy it.

she should visit local dealers & shows to test drive the different machines- it's like buying a car- an investment; you want the one YOU like- not the one the lady down the street likes. there are many to choose from in many budgets. local service availability and owners classes should be part of the decision too- there is a learning curve- very few people can buy one, set it up & start quilting beautiful quilts- it takes time & lots of practice regardless of which machine- and the free owners classes dealers offer can be invaluable = make that learning time much less.

The problem is there know place close here to try them at and the shop I talked to are to far away to come set them up. So thinking I'll have to order one off internet

Tried to talk to a couple of longarmer local but when told them she was wanting to purchase one and just want to watch and learn aittle about theirs. They acted like I wanted so top secret info and where hateful

I have a babylock crown jewel on a pearl frame. There are so many out there it is a shame you can not test before buying.

If you have no local dealers, then it would really be worth your while to travel to a major quilt show to test drive all the machines on display by the vendors. I think you could make a costly mistake just blindly buying something off the internet. There are so many variables from one machine to another, not just in price, but in features, ease of use, availability of customer support, and replacement parts, etc. This is not a purchase to make without first doing all the legwork. There will be machines you will definitely prefer over others. It took me a long time to zero in on which machines I wanted (there were only two at that time), and then quite a while before I found a used one within driving distance which I thought was well maintained and worth buying. I remember I made myself graphs to keep everything straight, both in comparing different machines, then again in comparing the available used machines of the brand I had decided on.